GPS Innovation Alliance launches

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Citing the ever-increasing importance of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to the global economy and infrastructure, a group of GPS advocates have formed the GPS Innovation Alliance, an organization dedicated to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

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Updates for iFly GPS released

Adventure Pilot has released its Version 7.5 Software Update for its iFly GPS. Enhancements include Portrait Mode, Interactive Instrument Mode, WAC Charts and more.

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Bankrupt LightSquared pitches another plan

Wireless venture LightSquared, which filed bankruptcy in May, is seeking approval for a plan that will allow it to share airwaves with federal agencies. In filings with the Federal Communication Commission, the company says this will solve the technical problems that prevented the launch of its nationwide 4G network. A report at The Hill notes that the FCC granted the company a conditional waiver to move forward in 2011, but the agency blocked the network earlier this year after tests showed its cell towers would interfere with critical GPS devices, including those used by pilots.

What comes after GPS?

A report at Avionics Today notes that while GPS has more worldwide users than ever, safety and security concerns have insiders looking for what should replace it. The report details those safety and security concerns, as well as puts forth several ideas for the next big thing.

iFly GPS upgraded

Adventure Pilot has released its Version 7 Software Update for the iFly GPS. New features include Terrain/Obstructions, an Active Alerting System, Vertical Flight Planning, and more, company officials said.

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LightSquared files for bankruptcy

LightSquared has filed for bankruptcy, saying it will seek to resolve the concerns of U.S. regulators who thwarted the company’s plan to build a nationwide high-speed wireless network that tests showed interfered with GPS signals. According to a Bloomberg report, LightSquared listed assets of $4.48 billion and debt of $2.29 billion in the bankruptcy filing, which is “intended to give LightSquared sufficient breathing room to continue working through the regulatory process that will allow us to build our 4G wireless network,” Chief Financial Officer Marc Montagner is quoted in the report.

LightSquared moves towards bankruptcy

LightSquared Inc. was preparing Sunday to file for bankruptcy protection after negotiations with lenders to avoid a potential debt default faltered, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. LightSquared is the company that received a conditional waiver from the FCC to build a wireless network on a spectrum that interfered with GPS, a move fought vehemently by general aviation advocacy groups.

Garmin’s 100 million milestone

Garmin officials are celebrating the company’s latest milestone: It has sold more than 100 million of its products to pilots, motorists, boaters, runners, cyclists, golfers, hikers, hunters, and geocachers — who all depend on Garmin to help show the way.

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LightSquared continues fight

LightSquared, a company that wants to build a network of 40,000 land-based towers i the U.S. for high-speed wireless transmissions, is continuing its fight. In a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission, company officials state that a ruling proposed by the FCC staff that would effectively revoke LightSquared’s license to operate its network is “entirely unsupported by the law, science, and FCC policy and precedent.”

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Lawmakers seek estimate of what taxpayers spent on LightSquared testing

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Michael Turner have asked the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to account for how much taxpayer money the federal government spent to test LightSquared’s wireless network for interference with GPS and government telecommunications devices.

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